LA JOLLA, United States, Jan 26 – Tiger Woods launched his latest return to the US PGA Tour with an even par 72 in the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open here Thursday.

On the South Course at Torrey Pines, scene of his 14th and most recent championship at the 2008 US Open, Woods had three birdies and three bogeys and was seven shots behind first-round leader Tony Finau.

Woods, 42, is playing is first US PGA Tour tournament since missing the cut at Torrey Pines last year, when his bid to come back from more than a year on the sideline foundered.

After back fusion surgery in April Woods says he’s playing without pain, but not surprisingly showed some rust on a course where he has won eight times.

He’ll try to gain ground on Friday, when he tackles the North Course, traditionally the more forgiving of the two layouts used in the first two rounds of the tournament.

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